Beet Salad

Beet Salad may sound simplistic, but it is anything but mundane. Earthy and antioxidant-rich beets are roasted to perfection, which helps bring out their natural sugars. Then, they are tossed with crunchy celery, fragrant shallots and a tangy honey mustard vinaigrette that will knock your socks off. This entire salad is dripping with healthy nutrients to fight inflammation, benefit your heart and maintain good digestive health. Keep reading for our expert tips on how to shop for beets, what to do about beet stains and more!

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too!

• When shopping for beets, look for ones that are firm to the touch, without any markings on the skin. If the beet greens are still attached, the leaves should be bright in color and crisp. They’re an extra bonus: You can use raw greens in salads or sauté or braise them.
• After the beets are roasted and cooled, wear disposable gloves to protect your skin from staining and consider cutting them on a plastic board rather than staining your favorite wooden cutting board. To remove beet stains, sprinkle coarse salt over the board and use a halved lemon to scrub it. Allow the cutting board to sit for a few minutes before rinsing.
• We chose red beets for this salad because they have a sweeter flavor than other beet varieties. However, you can also use golden beets, pink Chioggia beets or a mixture. These alternatives tend to stain less than red beets, making them a cleaner option for cooking if that is a concern.
• This salad is best when assembled right before serving it—and there is no need to toss it.

Nutrition Notes

• Beets are a polarizing vegetable—typically you love them or you don’t. If you’re convinced you don’t like them, try roasting them, as it deepens and sweetens the flavor of the beets. Beets are a unique vegetable in that they contain a large of amount of nitrates, which is converted into nitric oxide in the body. This helps open up the blood vessels and allows blood to flow more freely, lowering blood pressure—great for your heart health.
• Beets are loaded with fiber, folate and potassium, which may help reduce your blood pressure. You’ll also get some plant protein and cancer-fighting antioxidants called betalains, which also help reduce inflammation. With that said beets might not be for everyone. If you’re prone to gout, beets may trigger a flare-up due to their oxalates, which increase uric acid levels in the body.
• Celery often appears in a supporting role in a recipe. That should not diminish the nutrition in celery. It is a good source of vitamin K, which is essential for healthy blood clotting—however, if you are on blood thinning medication, this nutrient needs to be monitored. Celery is also a hydrating vegetable. That’s right, we don’t only get water from fluids, but also from foods—so add some celery to your next salad to help add more hydration to your meals.